Pakistan leased a communication satellite HGS-3 from M/s Hughes Global Services and relocated it to its slot at 38oE slot in December 2001. This satellite renamed, PAKSAT-1, now serves the country with low-cost, high quality satellite communication services that include broadcasting, broadband connectivity and Internet backbone connectivity amongst others.

Acquiring a communication satellite proved to be a prudent decision for a developing country like Pakistan because PAKSAT 1 has played a vital role in key areas of development in Pakistan.

PAKSAT 1 has helped expand the communication infrastructure to the remote areas of Pakistan and is being used in projects related to Tele-medicine and Tele-education. PAKSAT-1 coverage allows operators and service providers access to European IP backbone through its partner Teleport in Germany, thus enabling them to offer cost effective IP services for customers in Africa, Middle East, South and Central Asia. PAKSAT is also ideally suited for providing low-cost backup / redundancy to submarine cable network traffic.

PAKSAT-1 is increasingly becoming the preferred choice for Mobile and Fixed and WLL network operators, LDIs and DNOPs to provide affordable connectivity for their customers. GSM operators are benefiting from significant cost savings by using PAKSAT for backhaul connectivity to extend their services to rural and remote areas thereby enhancing their competitive edge while keeping their network costs low.

PAKSAT-1 is ideally suited for businesses and enterprises seeking a cost effective and reliable solution for their connectivity requirements. A number of data network operators are successfully using PAKSAT-1 to offer enterprise connectivity solutions in various sectors like banks, oil companies Health, education and construction. These connectivity solutions are based on latest technologies like I-DIRECT, DVB-S2 and DAMA.

PAKSAT enables businesses highly cost-effective means to deploy mission critical applications, regardless of the location and remoteness of their offices with applications like Web access, corporate networks and Voice over IP.

The booming media industry in Pakistan seeks to save operational costs but at the same time extend its reach to the remotest of areas of the country. PAKSAT has thus become the ideal option which is why it has the largest and fastest growing Video neighborhood in Pakistan.

PAKSAT International (Pvt) Ltd. markets the services of Pakistanís National Satellite PAKSAT-1 acting as the commercial arm of SUPARCO. Since becoming operational in January 2006, PAKSAT International has successfully established a solid customer base for PAKSAT-1 across Middle East, Africa, South Asia and Europe. PAKSAT-1 today has the fastest growing Pakistani TV channel neighborhood. Additionally a number of i-direct and DVB-S2 hubs are using PAKSAT-1 capacity to offer innovative and cost effective data & internet services across Middle East, Africa and South Asia. In addition to marketing the services of PAKSAT 1, PAKSAT International also markets other space related applications and services developed by SUPARCO including Satellite Remote Sensing Data services, GIS development and customization, environmental monitoring and analysis, and vehicle tracking and fleet management services.